The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-05

Claws Home at Ashland -" Vatter-
salls"-The Birthplace of the Great
Lexington =. The Once Famous
McGrathiana
From the Missouri Republican.
In the central portion of Kentucky there
Is A fair group of counties lying together
like a picture-elegant farms that spread
ont their broad pastures like so many pri-
vate parks; acre upon acre Of waving grain
md everywhere the long, lush bluegrass,
that nature has SO bountifully provided for
this region, undulating like the waves of the
sea. 1t is the famous Bluegrass country
famous the world over wherever fine horse
flesh is known and appreciated
Perhaps this old and ariStocratic little
city of Lexington is to be considered the
very soul and centre of this garden-spot,
All roads seem to lead to it, and from it
they branch off into infinite distance, They
are called turnpiSes here and are broad,
and smooth, and white with limestone dust,
for the whole fertile region rests upon a
limestone substratum. Here and there, III
between these turnpikes, are the stock
farrns, whose names have become familiar
through the length and breadth of the
land They can be described far off-the
dwellings and fences cleaning white
in the midst of their surroundings
and not a stray scrap of debris about
TO mar the beautiful neatneSs and
order. 1t is not at all infrequent to find the
dwelling house small and unpretentious,
while the stables are roomy and handsome,
quite oveIpowering the residence, for here
the horse is king. 1t is to this section that
the Boomers and Vanderbilts, the Lorilards
and Belmonts come when they want fine
Young trotter or promising thoroughbred.
MANY of the Eastern millionaires who have
fancy for horsehesh keep resident buyer
here. who constantly makes the rounds of
these celebrated breeding places, and at
tends all the great horse sales, with watch
full eye for anything like prize turning up
in his line.
In this city and section not to be well up
in pedigrees and tine general horse vocabu-
larry is to be away behind. the spirit of the
times The race course is naturally the
great institution. and this one was laid out
in the days of the revolutionary war, and
is as old as our independence. On the oppo-
site side of the town is a handsome trotting
track which is much more modern. Lex
ington is one of the quaintest and most con-
ventional of towns There is scholastic
flavor in its quiet atmosphere happy relic
of its palmy days when old Pennsylvania
University filed the land with its fame, and
turned so many eyes toward 1.-THE Athens of
the ver-tongued statesman at
Ashland, just beyond the tanglo
of streets, who drew so many
of the worlds dignitaries to his gates. Clays
colossal statute in the cemetery uplifts its
head above all surrounding objects; and OPP
posite, east of the city, the waving ash and
walnut trees of his old home lift their green
crowns. Ashland is once more in the hands
of the Clay family, and that part of the
mansion which contains Henry Clay's pri-
vate APARTMENTS, with the same furniture
used by him during his life, is set apart for
the sight-seers, who will come daily from all
parts of the world to stand reverently in the
rooms once inhabited by their illustrious
owner. A special servant is kept by the
Mcdowell family to attend such visitors,
and huge register records their names,
sometimes as many as fifty in one day.
Just across the pike from historic Ash
land is Ashla "a park, the breeding eStab-
lishment of VI B. j. Treacy. These stables
contain the finest y )ung trotting stock in the
country the year round. Wealthy buyers
from the East and West, from the Pacific
coast and the Territories come to these
stables to purchase. Mr.. Treacy is joint
owner of the well known "Tattersalls," on
Main street, in this city-a stable so vast
and elegant that it quite outshines its
neighbor, tn Pm e.ux Hotel, that ancient
and swell hostelry of the Bluegrass. Tat
uerSdlIS' mas a department HtUSu up lOI
ladies who transact their own business, for
many proud Kentucky dame with pedi-
gree as long as her thoroughbred's, raises
superb stock on her rich acres, and knows
how to market them, too.
Back of Ashland is Forest Park, the
home of that genial gentleman and turf
man, DIR. Herr and also of Mambrino Ring.
To the left is Gen. Withers' fine place, Fair
lawn, from whose stable the General few
years since shipped lot of young trotters
TO the far-off Sandwich Islands Directly
across from him is the old Warfield farm,
the birthplace of the great Lexington,
whose name is yet household word in this
region. Farther up this same wide turn
pike rises a stately mansion set on green
hill, with many crystal windows and long
piaZZaS, handsome drives and sweep OF
smooth lawn before it. This is the once
famous McGrathiana, formerly the
property of Price McGrath-since his
death in the possession of Milton
l.. Young. Under the hill are the long
stables built by the former owner, i'll which
the great Tom Bowling and his confrere,
Aristides, used to dream of victory: Noted
as the Kentuckians are for hospitality, per-
haps no place in the State dispenses it so
profusely as McGrathiana; and no one en-
joyed life so keenly as its genial owner, who
went by the title of 1.-THE Laird Of Nc
Grathiana" Each year, rs the spring
meeting came on, this mansion was crowded
with distinguished guests, and grand ban
quent inaugufated the festivities. on which
occasion every guest was expected to quaff
from the massive silver punch-bowl which
was a trophy of one Of Tom Bowling's
Eastern victories.
All the way from Lexington to Frankfort
the route is lined with notable places, whose
names are conspicuous in turf annals, and
whose representatives have won honors upon
every prominent race-c0urse in America
many of them possessing more than national
fame. Clustered around the little Kentucky
capital, and diverging from it like the
spokes of a fan, are the Alexander and
Harper estates, the Grinstead, the Nc
Dowell the Hunt Reynolds place reaching
way off to Indian hill, the property of X.
S. Veech, Louisville banker, whose stock
ranks at premium, and here, it is said,
distinctively the true bluegrass begins.
Along the distant horizon may be seen the
outline of Bluegrass park, the demesne of
the late Keene Richards, the only American
who ever went in person to the des-
erts of Arabia and imported Arabian stock
for his private use. A portion of the dwell
ing was burned shortly after the death OF
the owner, but enough remains to denote
what the mansion was when intact. Nearer
at hand is the Buford farm (adjoining Alex
anders) connected with which was a long
litigation and at last q series or bloody